Madness
by diwata
Summary: How would Rukawa & Rani survive having to spend one night together in one room? Chapter 10 up - Sleepless In Sapporo [on-going] Not your typical Mary Sue/no usual love triangle.
1. The Madness Starts

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

**Madness**

Chapter 1: The Madness Starts 

"Kogure-kun! Wait up! I will go jogging with you." Rani hastily slipped on her rubber shoes. Her long, black hair is pony tailed at her back and she is wearing a hanging t-shirt and jogging pants that made her look like a girl who is going to attend her PE class.

A man wearing eyeglasses stopped reaching out for the doorknob and turned around. "I thought you are not coming. Last time you jogged out with me, you almost fainted."

"Hey, that's because I really lacked exercise before. But I am planning on making it every weekend, for now. And if I can handle it, make it three times a week." She started working on her other shoelace.

"That's good. I've never known you to be a sports buff though."

"I am not a sports buff and I don't think I will ever be. But I liked jogging. Wait, is jogging considered a sport?"

Kogure laughed softly. "You've been staying with me for 8 months and you never jogged before except last week."

"You know I can't find time to do that. That nursing review took up my weekends!" She then straightened herself. "C'mon…let's go!"

"Just promise you won't faint on me hahahahah!!!"

"I won't. Let's just start slow. You know, warm up is for exercise like foreplay is for sex." She shrugged nonchalantly.

Kogure turned red. Eversince Rani became his housemate, he had to cringe once in a while as she could be so direct and outspoken. But even then, she treated him like a brother. He met her at the Kitamura General Hospital when she was introduced as one of the gaijin [foreigner] nurses. Her face is not exactly pretty but average. But being a cheerful person and always ready to smile, she radiates a personality that make people feel at ease with her. Being from a brown race, she has a natural tan making her skin darker compared to Japanese women. She has long black hair that almost reached her waist but she usually turn it into a pony tail to tame it because 'my hair flies in all directions.' With the exception of her frankness, he thought she was really nice. He guessed he is just not used to people who are very frank and outspoken. She is also very fond of music except that sometimes she could get carried away.

Rani knows a few Japanese words and phrases when she came to Japan. When they were assigned on the same shift, they hit it off as friends, more like brother and sister for that matter. Even though she is two years older than him, she doesn't look like it or acted like it. People always mistook her to be in her late-teens if not for the nursing uniform she is wearing at the hospital. The fact that she is barely 5 feet tall and petite doesn't help. She digs boy bands even though she listens to some new wave and music from the 80's. Though she cannot speak Japanese fluently yet, she is making some progress on the language. She speaks English if the person she is talking to can speak English as she finds it so hard to struggle for the right Japanese word when she wants to speak her mind. Kogure is just thankful that she hasn't gotten into trouble because of that.

"What? Why are you carrying a discman?"

"Why? It's ok to jog while listening to music. It gives you that adrenalin. Besides I can still hear you as I only have one earphone plugged to my ear."

Kogure sighed and shook his head.

"Why are you wearing your glasses? It just keeps on sliding down your nose." Rani muttered between breaths as they jogged going to the park.

"Ah… I would trip or something. Surely you cannot carry me hahahaha!!"

"You're right. I think you better wear it because surely I cannot even drag you. Me being barely 5 feet tall and you being ….."

"But I am not that tall."

"I know but I still can't carry you so be careful with your glasses."

"You do know that a lot of Japanese men are taller than me. You should have seen my teammates. They are--- Oh no! I forgot, Mitsui called me the other day about playing basketball!"

"Oh nononono! Don't tell me you are going to ditch me for basketball. Great. I am Rani, dumped by my jogging partner for basketball."

"But they will be waiting for me." He looked at his watch. "It's ok, it's just 5:30 in the morning. We agreed to meet at six.

"Sex? Awww…Kogure-kun…I didn't know you are having sex with your teammates hahahahah!!!!"

"Rani!!!!" Kogure blushed furiously but somehow he is thankful that Rani spoke in English so people on the street couldn't understand what she was saying.

"Hahahaahah!!! You know what? The more you get upset, the more I love picking on you! So where is your rendezvous?" She gave a teasing grin but he chose to ignore it.

"At the basketball court at the park."

"Alright, you can go play your basketball, I'll just jog in circles at the park till I drop dead." She looked at him and grinned.

"Don't you ever do that! When you start feeling tired, stop and sit down."

"Whatever."

As they entered the park, they joined the other people who are also jogging.

"Wow cute!" Rani spotted a cute young boy aged around 14 or 15 and left Kogure jogging. Kogure upon seeing her bolting from his side let out a low groan.

"Rani!!!!" Kogure turned back to follow her. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

"What?" Rani grinned at him. "Can't I even do some boy chasing once in a while?"

Kogure dragged her back. "You'd get into trouble, you know. It's almost six. I have already spotted Rukawa and Sendoh at the court when we passed by. I will have to join them soon so behave yourself."

"Shesshh…." She rolled her eyes. "You are even worse than my father."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Guys, this is Rani, my housemate. She works in the same hospital as I do. Rani, this is Sendoh, Rukawa and Mitsui." Sendoh and Mitsui smiled at her while Rukawa nodded.

"Hello guys!" She waved at them while having that silly grin. "Whoa, you're right Kogure-kun, you are the shortest." Kogure sweatdropped. "Ok, I'll leave you now, guys. I have some boy chasing to do hehehe…." She waved at the four. Kogure didn't have a chance to talk back to her as she already sprinted off.

"Housemate?" Mitsui started interrogating his friend.

"Hai. You know I have a house mate, right?" Kogure doesn't like it when his friend starts to sound like that.

"Yes, but I never thought you lived with a girl!"

"We have separate rooms, you know!" A blushing Kogure retorted.

"She's a gaijin [foreigner] and she mentioned about boy chasing." Sendoh raised an eyebrow at Kogure.

Kogure blinked. "What? I didn't know you could understand English, Sendoh?"

"Of course, I can. My father is a diplomat plus I get to study at international school when I was young."

Mitsui just gaped at Sendoh when he spoke in English. "Whoa! And I thought only Rukawa could speak English here! What is boy chasing, by the way?" He turned to Kogure. But before Kogure could answer, Rukawa nudged him to look ahead. Rani was grinning ear to ear. She waved at them while she was following the same boy she followed before.

Kogure slapped his forehead with his palm. "That girl!"

"Looks like you are in for some babysitting, Kogure." Sendoh teased.

"What babysitting? She is two years older than me!"

"Nani!?" Even Rukawa couldn't help but react.

Sendoh looked at the bespectacled man suspiciously. "You mean she is already 27?"

"Hai. She just looks younger for her age. Anyway, let's start." Kogure quickly retorted as he started to feel uncomfortable being interrogated.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

When Rani felt that she was about to collapse, she dragged her body to the bench nearest to the basketball court. Not only was she sweating profusely, she was also panting heavily as she looked at the four basketball players who are so engrossed at their game. She just watched them uninterestingly while she was trying to catch her breath. After a while, she reached for her earplugs and plugged them both to her ears then she leaned her back completely on the bench to relax. Slowly she started flicking her fingers to the music and hummed along.

"….Love is just a game you played in high school…hmmhmmm….."

She was lightly tapping her foot and moving her head to the rhythm with her eyes closed. Slowly, she immersed herself into the music. Kogure saw her but let her be as their game is still going on. Then he concentrated on trying to block Rukawa as he was about to make a three point shot.

"..…..AT THE END OF THE DAY, MAKIN' LOVE TO A PAPER MOON!!!!"

~~BOING!!!!~~

Rukawa's three point shot missed. It hit the ring and bounced off. The four men stopped playing and turned to look at her direction.

"…...SHE SAID, BOYS DO FALL IN LOVE!!!!

THEY MAKE TIME….  
THEY GET LOVE ON A SATURDAY NIGHT….."

Sendoh burst out laughing "Hahahaha!!! She…..hahahaha!!! She rocks! Hahahahah!!!!"

Kogure's glasses got fogged. Rani opened her eyes to see four men, no, make that two men staring at her, one man glaring at her and one man clutching his stomach while laughing like mad. Confused, she took off her earphones and asked. "What?"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Acknowledgement: Boys Do Fall In Love was written and sung by Robin Gibb 


	2. Kogure's Dilemma

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**Laarni** - here it is!

**mskitsune** - thank you! thank you! here's the continuation.

**tensaispira** - you do? I do too. LOL

**arashi tissue** - I am so glad you liked this work of mine.

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 2: Kogure's Dilemma 

The ringing doorbell alerted her up from reading her magazine. Careful not to miss the page she was reading, she placed the magazine on the table then proceeded to open the door.

"Konnichiwa!" A tall man slightly bowed in greeting. She looked at the man and willed her mind to work and try to remember the name as she was sure she had met him before. He was one of Kogure's friends. _Darn those Japanese names! So hard to remember._ The tall man on the other hand silently stared at the frowning girl in front of him. He remembered her name. Rani, Kogure Kiminobu's housemate.

"Uh…gomen, I know I met you before but...umm… I forgot your name. You are---?" She tilted her head looking up at him and feeling stupid for not remembering his name.

The basketball player is feeling awkward at the question because he is not used to introducing himself. Almost everyone in Kanagawa knew him after all. "Rukawa. Rukawa Kaede."

Recognition reflected on Rani's face. "Oh hai, hai…Rukawa!" She bumped her fist on her forehead as she scolded herself. "Shesshh….I am getting old. Come in. Kogure-kun's not home though. He went to visit his granny." She led him to the living room. "How did you know where Kogure-kun lives?"

He went in and lowered himself on the couch. "I've been here many times before."

Rani gaped at him. "Really? How come I've never seen you?"

"Kogure-sempai said you were attending review classes or something like that."

"Uhuh…Oh….yes. I was always out on weekends before." She laughed softly. "Would you like to have some tea?"

Rukawa nodded and gave a little smile. "Tea would be fine."

When she left to get a pot of tea, Rukawa noticed the magazines lying at the table in front of him. He scanned them but placed them back hurriedly when Rani came back with two cups and the pot containing the tea. After she placed everything on the table, she filled the two cups and gave one cup to the visitor.

"Arigato."

She gave him a slight bow before sipping from her cup. "Hm."

"Astronomy magazines?" Curiosity got him.

"Hm? Yeah."

"Why are you reading those?"

She gave him a puzzled look and a mellow laughter. "What do you mean why? I like them that's why I read them."

He gave her a quizzical look. "Astronomy?"

"Yeah. I have always been interested in astronomy but I ended up to become a nurse hahahahah!"

Rukawa frowned. "Why did you not take up Astronomy in college instead?"

She let out a soft sigh. "I suck at Math. I love reading everything about astronomy but when I start seeing formulae and calculations, my head gets dizzy. That and I know I won't be able to get a job even if I was lucky enough to become an astronomer." She paused and took a sip. "I mean, how many astronomers does the world need anyway?" She grinned widely at him. "But I really like it. One day, I would get myself a big telescope and set it up on the rooftop of my house so I can do stargazing. But of course, I have to build a house first that's why I am here working." She chuckled and looked at him. "By the way, I am really sorry about not remembering your name. That was so rude of me."

He lifted up the cup and took a sip. "It's alright."

"I really don't know what time Kogure-kun will be back. Are you going to play basketball?"

"Hai." He lied. Ever since he got back from America almost a year ago, he visits his sempai every time he feels alone on a weekend. And he just came from his usual basketball practice with his national teammates.

"I see." She took a sip from her cup. "You speak good English." Her eyebrows lifted up to look at him.

"I've been to America for more than 4 years."

"Work?"

"I played basketball."

"You went to America just to play basketball?"  
  
"I played at NBA."

Her face lighted up. "I see. I was glad I met Kogure-kun because when I came here I knew very little Japanese. He told me that he learned English in school. I was surprised that English is being taught at schools here too."

"Hmn."

"Oh I remember..." She paused as she thought of something. "I think Kogure-kun was referring to you when he mentioned one time that he has a junior who played at NBA. He even said that you were very quiet and indifferent before but you gradually opened up. He said you were not even smiling." She stopped talking and observed him.

He just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I changed a lot."

"Hm. That's good!"

Feeling that the person in front of him already knows too much about him, he decided to turn the tide. "Why did you have to take review classes before?"

Rani looked up as if trying to search for the answer to his question. "So I can get the license to practice nursing here. I started out as a caregiver." She then looked at him and let out a smile of satisfaction. "Japan allows foreign nurses to practice if they pass the licensing exam. So now I can work without any problem." She smiled with pursed lips and proudly raised an eyebrow.

He gave her a nod and timid smile. "I see. Congratulations then."

She grinned. "Thank you!"

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Kogure-kun! Rukawa-kun dropped by this afternoon." Kogure just walked out of his room after changing into his usual house attire, a faded t-shirt and a pair of shorts. Rani has already prepared dinner for both of them. 

The man wearing eyeglasses sat down and looked at her. "Ah…really? What did you tell him?" 

"Told him you went to see your granny. Ne, how come Mitsui-kun never visits you? I thought you are closer to him?" 

He was just about to take a bite when he heard her questions. "Umm…that's because he lives far from us. I was closer to Hisashi-kun because we were batch mates in senior high." 

"Oh I see." 

"Besides, Rukawa-kun lives just a few blocks away from us." He just had to add that. He had to sound convincing since he knew the real reason is that Mitsui is not the type who would frequently visit a friend. Especially now that he lives with Rani. For some reason, Mitsui isn't very fond of his housemate. As for the former cold ace, they had become fast friends as he learned that Rukawa is really a warm person after all. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Kogure was dashing through the hospital hall looking for his friend when he saw her emerging out of Room 311. "Rani, she's there!" He whispered excitedly and pointed at the direction where he spotted the woman of his dreams. 

Rani rolled her eyes at her friend. "So? Why don't you talk to her?"

"Nani!? I can't. I feel so nervous." Actually, he was shaking. [A/N: Awww…poor Kogure]

"Shessh…Kogure-kun. I have to admit you are good at everything but approaching girls!"

Ok, now he's red and shaking. "I know. I wish I am like other men who are smooth when it comes to women!"

"Really now, Kogure-kun, I don't know what's eating you! You look fine to me. In fact, you look handsome in your nerdy ways hahahahah!"

"Rani!!!"

"Kidding!!!" She grinned at him and made a peace sign. "Seriously, I think you should start working up your guts and talk to Maru. At least you could start out as friends, you know." She winked at him.

Kogure's glasses got fogged. "Shhhhhh….not so loud. Somebody might hear you."

"Alright then, let's go back to work before we both get fired." She once again rolled her eyes and walked away from her friend to proceed to another ward.

Kogure sighed. He had known Maru for quite sometime but he is just too shy to talk to her, let alone confess. Maru is also a colleague at Kitamura. They weren't on the same shift before but when she was assigned in his shift, he felt so happy but at the same time, his knees would always go weak every time he would meet her at the hallways. The only conversation they ever had was a simple 'hi' and 'hello'. That's all. He knew she was the one and wondered why he fell in love with a woman who is already involved with another man. Yes, Maru has a rich boyfriend who comes to the hospital to fetch her and drop her home everyday. Oh, how his heart would ache every time he sees them holding hands and she would ride in his car. Only Rani knows of his predicament and he is actually thankful that he has someone he could talk to about it.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

The train's crowded. Kogure and Rani had to be contented standing up during the ride. The air is filled with the smell of the weary bodies of salary men and women. Some people are sleeping while a few are reading mangas. A child bellowed out probably out of exasperation. Rani looked at her companion beside her. The man has the look of someone who is traveling out in outer space as his eyes are focused beyond the horizon. _He must be thinking about Maru again._ She nudged him using her elbow. The bespectacled man woke up from his reverie and looked at her.

"Tell you what? Why don't I steal her rich boyfriend so that you can make your move?" She sported that silly grin after blurting out the equally silly proposal.

Kogure sweatdropped. "What are you saying?!"

Rani shrugged. "Oh well…."

Although a very easy-going person, Rani is deeply concerned about her friend. She wanted to help him. _Kogure-kun deserves to be happy._


	3. Rani, The Hentai

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

**Madness**

Chapter 3: Rani, The Hentai

It was just another Saturday morning. The four men just finished playing their usual basketball game and Rani just finished her jogging. They decided to go and take breakfast at a nearby fastfood restaurant. Mitsui, Kogure and Rani are sitting beside each other on one bench while Rukawa and Sendoh are on the other bench facing them. Sendoh and Rani are at the aisle.

They were already eating when Kogure remembered something. "Rukawa-kun, I'm sorry I was not home when you dropped by."

"It's alright."

Sendoh whistled and grinned widely when a rather seductive young woman wearing skin-tight micro-mini skirt passed by.

"Sexy eh?" Rani winked and made the remark to Sendoh in English.

"Yep. Too bad I am not alone or I would have used my pick up lines." Sendoh answered back in English. He flashed a hentai smile.

"Ohhh Mr. Casanova, so what's your favorite position?" She grinned back.

Sendoh grinned at the Mr. Casanova remark. "I'm a forward."

Rani frowned at him. "Forward?" She scratched her head. _Must be a Japanese thing._ "But it's not a position, it's how you move, right?"

Kogure, her housemate who is sitting beside her was starting to feel uncomfortable at their exchange though. "Anou…Rani…" He softly called her attention.

Still confused on the 'forward position', Rani turned to him. "Nani, Kogure-kun? I was just asking Sendoh-kun here what's his favorite sex position. He said forward. How do you do that?" She blurted out without even batting an eyelash but her eyebrows are knitting from confusion.

Kogure sweatdropped. A piece of French fries decided to lodge itself on Sendoh's throat. Rukawa stopped munching his food and looked at her. A clueless Mitsui just looked at his companions.

"Wa-water!!" Sendoh was holding his throat while his other hand was frantically waving, gesturing for the precious water.

"H-here!" Kogure grabbed his glass of water and gave it to Sendoh.

Sendoh finished the glass of water in two gulps. "Ah! That's better!" Then he looked at Rani. "You know, you are something else!" He grinned then he gestured for her to come closer.

Rani stood up and bent closer to him. Sendoh cupped his hand around his mouth as if whispering something into her ear. Her face lighted up, her lips formed into an O then she covered her mouth and started giggling.

Kogure's glasses got fogged. Rukawa was just staring at her. Poor Mitsui is still clueless.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rani decided to drop by at the mall after work as she needed a battery replacement for her cellphone. It took her a lot of prodding just to convince Kogure that she will be alright. Sometimes, she just wants to move around alone so she could learn on her own. Also, she would feel very awkward going on shopping with the bespectacled man always following her around. Men, as she has observed them are not born to survive the laborious ways of shopping as they easily get bored and tired from all the walking and window shopping. She thinks he was being over-protective but Kogure thinks otherwise as he very well knew that she is a girl and she is a gaijin. He also feels he is responsible for her because they live together. He has always been very protective of his friends and teammates before so it is no wonder that he would feel the same towards her.

Just when she was going out of the store, she spotted a man no so far away. _Mitsui-kun!_

She waved at him and was about to run to his direction but Mitsui suddenly disappeared. Nevertheless she ran to the same spot where she saw him and looked around.

Weird. Where did he ran to? Oh well..... 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

**"yea, yea, yea**

**Tried to make it little by little,  
tried to make it bit by bit on my own….." **

_There she goes again._ Kogure shook his head while washing the dishes. It was his turn to do the chore tonight. Rani was sitting on the living room couch bellowing out lyrics singing to her heart's content.

**"…..Quit the job, the grey believers,  
another town where I get close to the bone….."**

He's not really complaining. He smiled. Who would have thought he would have a housemate like her? But he was grateful because there's never a dull moment with her. Besides, having her as a housemate means he was saving on rent and other household expenses as they divide everything between them.

**"….Whatcha gonna tell your brother? - oh oh oh  
whatcha gonna tell your father? - I don't know!  
Whatcha gonna tell your mother? - Let me go..."  
**  


He likes the house they were renting. It is sitting on a regular-sized lot surrounded by a low fence and a small gate. There is a pavement from the gate entrance to the porch of the house. After entering the gate, one would see a small garden on the left side and then a small basketball court on the right side. Inside to the right is the living room, to the left is the kitchen/dining area. The bath is just beside Rani's room and near the kitchen.

That's right, it's the small basketball court that really appealed to him when he looked for that place. It was a bit pricey but he liked it. Well, now, it's not so hard for him anymore because of Rani.

**"….I'm gonna get dressed for success  
shaping me up for the big time, baby.  
Get dressed for success  
shaping it up for your love, for your love yea yea yea…."**

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Oi! Let's get something to eat. I am already starving." Mitsui called out to his companions.

"Hai!" Kogure got up and dusted his shorts. Rukawa picked up his ball and jogged to join them.

"Kogure-sempai, where is your little sister?" Sendoh teased.

"Huh? You mean Rani? She's at home."

Rani is not with them because she only jogs in the morning. The four men decided to play basketball in the afternoon this time.

"Too bad, there's no one to entertain us heheh…"

"Maa….she is really nice. She's just mischievous sometimes." Kogure replied.

Mitsui smirked. "You mean hentai." He has already known the exchange about Sendoh and Rani at the fastfood when he asked Sendoh about it before they parted ways that day.

Kogure glared at his friend. [A/N: Kogure glaring? Kawaiiiii!!!! *faints*] Then his thoughts drifted back to that fateful day in April. 

Kogure's POV 

_Is it possible to die of embarrassment? Oh, how can I forget? Did I ever say that Rani loves festivals? Yes, she loves festivals, so when two of our colleagues, Ayame-san and Harumi-san invited her to go to Kawasaki, I decided to accompany her. To cut the story short, we took the train to Kawasaki to attend a festival. It slipped from my mind to ask what kind of a festival was that because Japan has a lot of festivals anyway. Rani and I were together while Ayame-san and Harumi-san were together and I noticed that they were both giggling once in a while. She was wearing a kimono with her camera hanging on her neck. Ok, we were all wearing a kimono. It was the first time Rani wore a kimono though and she was very excited. And also a lot of gaijins there were wearing a kimono. _

_It was only when we arrived there that I learned that it was Kanamara Matsuri Festival or Festival of the Steel Phallus. It was a yearly fertility festival. There were a lot of people alright, mostly gaijins like her. A lot of transvestites dressed at their best also attended. Before long, a large pink phallus was being paraded in the middle of the street. Yes, a large pink phallus. By then, my face was also turning pink. There I was with two Japanese women and one female gaijin who are looking so amused at the parade. Ayame-san and Harumi-san were pointing at the you-know-what. As for Rani---  
  
"Hahahahah! Kogure-kun, this is soooo much fun!" Right, she was running down the street like a child, her pony tailed hair dangling at her back. _

_You could imagine me cowering. That's right, cowering from embarrassment. _

_Well, that was just for starters. When she read from the leaflet that it is considered good luck to embrace or ride one of the big phalluses, the three girls took their turns and did all sorts of pose. Of course it was all captured on film. I thought I was safe but all of a sudden, all the three girls grabbed me, dragged me and made me embrace-the-you-already-know-what. Rani told me that I need all the goodluck I could get. Again, it was captured on film. Before long, there were other gaijins who did the same thing after us. Then Rani spotted another phallus sitting up straight from the ground. She sat on it and asked Ayame-san to take her picture. A group of gaijins were laughing at her while she was doing that. Ayame-san and Harumi-san did the same thing too. They were smiling and laughing all the time as if they were having the best times of their lives. Great…. _

_Then there was a time when I didn't notice that they left my side for a couple of minutes because I was busy sweatdropping. When they came back, they were licking lollipops in the shape of a….of a….a…..[sweatdrop] you already know. Ok, by then, my glasses were constantly fogged. She was actually being thoughtful because she did not forget to give me one of those lollipops, which I quickly put in my pocket. _

_If any of my teammates knew about that, I would never live it down. I mean, can anyone imagine me, a Mr. Nice Guy, a shy guy with three girls on a festival like that? So now, every time she wants to go to a festival, I would research on what kind of a festival is that. As for my pictures, I made Rani swear that she would never show it to anyone. So, if anyone is going to ask me, is it really possible to die of embarrassment? I almost did._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Kogure-kun, here, have some candy." Rani herself was eating the sourball as her friend accepted the sourball she gave him.

They were already getting ready to walk out of the hospital as their shift has already ended. He popped the candy into his mouth. After a few seconds, his facial expressions were turning into a frown then into a grimace then he felt his face turning white.

Rani turned back and spotted a lady not so far away from them and waved to her. "Maru-chan!!!" She nudged the man's ribs beside her not noticing his predicament. The force almost caused Kogure to swallow the sourball.

_M-m-maru-chan? Is she talking about my Maru? _

"Hello there, Rani, Kogure-kun!"

_Ok, it's official, I am going to die of embarrassment. _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Acknowledgement: Dressed For Success was sung by Roxette. 


	4. The Madness Continues

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**mskitsune** - bows Here it is!

**tensaispira** - this is the continuation, more Kogure suffering heheh...

**arashi tissue** - yep, Rani is not a typical Mary Sue, maybe because she was created to make Kogure suffer mwhahahahah!

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 4: The Madness Continues

Days passed by. Rani is improving on her Japanese and she still pesters Kogure to accompany her to festivals. A new member of the household was added when Rani decided to adopt a stray kitten. It's a cute male kitten with stripped brown and white fur. She named him Hiro.

Rani is lying on the sofa with Hiro lying on her stomach while she's reading. Kogure on the other hand is watching some basketball program on TV. She couldn't understand why basketball appeals so much to him. People in her country are known as basketball fanatics as well but she never gave attention to the games. She rubbed her eyes and placed down the magazine on the table beside her and started playing with her hair.

"Kogure-kun!"

"Hm?" Kogure responded to her without taking his eyes away from the TV.

"I was just wondering if Maru likes basketball."

Kogure didn't expect that kind of question from her. "I really don't know. Why do you ask?" He then faced her.

"Well, if you two are going to live with each other, I think you should know her likes and dislikes." Rani raised her brows to make a point.

Kogure sighed. He never thought about that. He really wanted to get to know Maru but he can't since they don't date and he was too shy to even approach her.

Rani got up and sat beside him. "Don't worry, Kogure-kun. There's always a way." She smiled at him. "We will build you up." She patted him on the back and grinned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rukawa Kaede is doing his usual early morning practice when he noticed a girl jogging a few feet away from him. _Rani, the hentai._ Hair in usual ponytail, she is wearing a gray t-shirt, dark blue shorts and white sneakers. Her ears are plugged to her discman and she doesn't look like she was paying attention to her surroundings. She had been jogging for almost an hour already.

~ ~ BOINK!~ ~ Something hard bounced on Rani's head. "What the---?" She landed on the pavement butt first.

_Uh-oh….I must have thrown it too hard… _

Rani's eyes goes @_@ 

"Are you alright?"

"Unnggg….Why are balls always after me?" *_*

"Here…" Rukawa offered his hand so she could stand up but she was busy checking for damages on her discman.  
  
"Don't worry about your discman. Are you alright?"

"Uh…yea " She got up on her own.

"Is your discman alright?"

Rani looked at him. "Yes, it's still playing."

"Gomen. It was my fault." He apologized.

"Alright. I really should stay away from balls. They are bad for my health."

"Is that so?" Rukawa walked to the bench to get his towel. "Where is Kogure-sempai?"

"He visited his grandma. He left yesterday after work. He said he will be back today."

"Why don't we get something to eat. I'm starving."

"Sure." Rani grinned.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"I have this phobia about balls."

Rukawa raised an eyebrow. _Balls? Uh…Of course she's talking about sports balls. What am I thinking? Uh-oh…not good, not good, it's rubbing on me!_

"You see five years ago, we had a company sportsfest and my colleagues asked me to join volleyball. I don't know a thing about volleyball but I see them just letting the ball land on their wrists or something so I thought it would be okay. Needless to say, I joined, we had practice and such but I noticed that the ball just keeps on landing on me! On my head, on my back, or on my face. Ok so, maybe it was just me. I wasn't really good at it.

"All you have to do is practice more." Rukawa replied.

"Oh practice? I did that. Heck, I almost died."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one fine sunny afternoon," She made a gesture with her hand trying to picture a sunny afternoon. "…my teammates decided to practice. So we went to a memorial park because nobody would disturb us there. For some reason, they decided to do it there. I liked it too because the roads are wide, basically no other people around and you know how memorial parks are, very wide open space. To cut the story short, what happened was that the ball rolled away from us. Since I was the nearest person to it, I ran after it but it just kept on rolling so I did something stupid. What I did was I stepped on it thinking that it would stop rolling but what happened was, I became out of balance and the ball rolled under my foot and BAM! I landed on concrete back first. I couldn't move. My teammates started to swarm around me. My back, from my neck down to the small of my back hurt, then slowly the pain seemed to spread in all directions. Then, the pain started to move from my spine to my chest. At that time, I was thinking that maybe 'this is it, this is my end.'" Hey, I was already seeing the bright light ahead! Hahahaha!!"

After the long narration, Rani took a bite from her sandwich and continued. "Even when I was walking on the streets back home and there were guys playing basketball, I always have to pay attention because the ball always gets within a foot from me. I don't know. I must be a ball magnet." She laughed out loud.

"I don't think so." Rukawa objected.

Rani smirked.

"I did it on purpose."

"What?" Rani's eyes grew wide.  
  
Rukawa shrugged. "I've been calling you but you can't hear me so I just had to do that."

Rani leaned closer to him. "Did anyone ever tell you you're weird?"  
  
"Half the population of Kanagawa, as a matter of fact."

"You could have just approached me!" Rani rolled her eyes.

Rukawa answered her with a shrug.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Maru-chan!!! Waiting for Hattori-san?" Rani greeted Maru at the hospital entrance. She's with Kogure who was trailing behind her.

"Hai." Maru smiled at the two. "Say, are you two an item?"

"What!? I got taste you know." Rani said it like Kogure is a plague or something.

Kogure facefaulted. _So much for building me up._

"Besides, I think there is someone who is really suited for him." Rani started.

"Rani….." Kogure tugged at her sleeve but Rani ignored him.

"Kogure-kun is very shy when it comes to women. Must be some inferiority complex." Rani's face is serious as if she was just talking about a very casual topic. "What do you think about him, Maru-chan? Don't you think he is cute enough to attract attention?" Kogure turned red.

Maru walked beside Kogure and studied him like a caged bird at the zoo. "Of course, Kogure-kun. I think you are one of those few people who look good in glasses."

Rani faked a whopping cough.

"Are you alright, Rani?" Maru asked her.

"Oh me? I am perfectly alright. Why don't you ask Kogure-kun here if he is alright?" Rani answered while putting on an innocent face.

Maru turned to see a red-faced Kogure.

"Are you alright, Kogure-kun?" Maru placed her hand on his forehead. "Are you having a fever?" The poor man almost jumped at her touch. Maru turned to Rani.

Rani made a face. "Nah! Kogure-kun just blushes every time he is in front of a pretty woman."

"Hahah! You are funny, Rani. Oh, he's here now. Ja ne!" Maru waved to them at the sight of her boyfriend.

The two waved at her. When Maru and Hattori left, Kogure turned to his grinning friend.

"You…."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Just another boring weekend. Rukawa decided to go to see Kogure and Rani. He saw her at the left side of the porch taking out clothes from the laundry machine. When he approached her, he saw that they were men's trousers and men's shirts. 

"You are doing laundry for Kogure-sempai?" Rukawa couldn't help but ask. Why would she do laundry for Kogure in the first place? 

"Hey, didn't notice you're there!" She wiped the sweat from her forehead with her left arm. "Ah….it's just this little deal we have." 

Rukawa didn't say a word but he frowned and gave her the look 'what deal?' 

"Um… you see, I promised I would do his laundry if he would take me to a festival." She grinned. She then pushed Rukawa towards the door. "C'mon, let's go inside. He's just taking a shower. I'm sure he'll be out soon." 

_Festival? _

Rukawa went to the living room while Rani turned left to the kitchen/dining area. She whistled loudly when Kogure got out of the bathroom clad only in towel wrapped around his waist. He's not wearing his glasses, his hair is wet and still has beads of water around his body. "Did Adonis just got down from Mount Olympus or what? What a **booodyyyyy!**" [A/N: indeed… ***drool***] 

"Maa…" Kogure blushed at the teasing Rani gave him. 

Arms akimbo, she gave him a smirk and titled her head. "Well, go get dressed, Adonis because Maru-chan is at the living room." She winked at someone who is supposedly at the living room. 

Kogure stopped on his tracks. "N-nani!?" _What could Maru-chan be doing here? _

_Har! Har! Har! _Rani is fighting hard not to burst out into laughter. 

"B-but my clothes are in my room!" 

"Aww…too bad." She called and winked to someone who is supposedly Maru at the living room. "Could you please give him his clothes?" 

"Rani!!!" 

Rani could no longer keep a straight face at the sight of her housemate's confusion and panic. She burst out into a fit of laughter. "Hahahaha!!! I was just kidding you! Go! It's Rukawa-kun who is at the living room." 

Kogure let out a sigh of relief. _Whew!_


	5. Rani, The Cupid

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

**Madness**

Chapter 5: Rani, The Cupid

Kogure just got out of Room 207 when Rani grabbed him and dragged him to a secluded spot in the hospital hallway. 

"Kogure-kun! I didn't have to steal him after all!!" She excitedly blurted out. 

"N-nani? What are you talking about?" 

She rolled her eyes at her friend's cluelessness. "I am talking about Maru! Hattori-san has been cheating on her! She caught him with another woman! I saw her crying this afternoon and I asked what was wrong and she told me that she broke up with him because of that!" She said everything in one breath. 

Kogure tried to absorb what his friend has been telling him. 

"Isn't it great, Kogure-kun? You can finally be able to make your move! Yes! Yes! Yes!!!" She was pumping her fist up and down in the air, gritting her teeth with so much excitement. 

He doesn't know if he would be happy or what. Maru is hurting but he felt like rejoicing. Rani looks even more excited than him at the development. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

After more than a week since Maru and Hattori broke up. Rani knew Maru doesn't wait for her ex-boyfriend anymore. And since it is weekend, she thought it would be a nice time to go out. 

"Hey Maru, why don't you go out with us?" Rani invited her. Kogure who is walking beside her began to panic. 

"Err…excuse us for a while ne, Maru-chan?" He dragged her a few feet away from his dream girl. "Rani, what are you doing?" 

"What? We're just going out as friends! It's not a date yet. Why are you being so uptight?" She paused. "Oh, let me guess, you don't want me to go with you, huh?" She grinned at him. 

"Nani? No, it's not like that!" Yup, it's not like that. Just that how in the world can he act normally with Maru around him. "But…" 

"Besides, I am there, so don't worry." She winked at him. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

After walking around the mall for two hours, they decided to take a bite when Rani complained that she's already starving. The truth is that she is getting exasperated with her housemate. She's been deliberately walking ahead of the two so Kogure would be able to strike a conversation with Maru but the shy bespectacled man would just give a timid smile to Maru whenever she would say something. 

"Um…Maru, I just have to go wash my hands. I'll be back." Rani gave a kick on Kogure's leg before she stands up. 

"Itai!!!" Kogure blurted out but Rani just gave a grin. 

"Kogure-kun, are you alright?" Maru asked. 

"Ah…H-hai." _ What a night._

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rukawa was gulping his soda when he saw a woman wearing a white uniform. She looks different from her usual t-shirt, shorts or jogging pants attire but he can't be mistaken. It's her. 

Rani was taking a peek at the two and feeling a bit exasperated at her housemate for not being able to talk this whole time when she felt someone tapping on her shoulder. 

"Rukawa-kun? What are you doing here?" 

"I just had my dinner here." He answered as he looked to the direction she was looking. 

"Oh." 

"You're stalking Kogure-sempai?" 

"What? No!" 

"Looks like it." Rukawa walked out from behind her heading to the table Kogure and Maru were sitting but Rani grabbed him from behind. 

"No!!!" She hissed while clutching the hem of his shirt. 

Rukawa stopped and looked at her. 

"Don't ever spoil the romantic setting. Let's give him a chance to talk to her." She almost begged, her palms close together. 

"You are playing matchmaker?" Now he's really curious. 

She grinned. "Something like that." 

"Ok, I have to go now." He turned back towards the other door. 

"Ok bye!" She waved her hand in his direction without leaving her eyes on the couple at the table. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"So what did I miss?" She eyed Kogure like a hawk. 

Kogure was fidgeting as usual. Rani sighed and rolled her eyes. Maru on the other hand is sipping her iced tea. 

"Kogure-kun, it's rather late. I think you should take Maru-chan home." She proposed. 

"N-nani?" Kogure panicked once again. 

Maru looked at them and butted in. "It's alright, Rani. I can manage." 

The three of them stood up and prepared to leave. 

"Aa…. No can do, Maru-chan. I insist that Kogure-kun take you home." She turned back to her housemate. "Now be a gentleman, Kogure-kun." She pretended to give Kogure a pat at the back but in fact pinched him. [A/N: I got this from the scene where Sakuragi pinched Kogure at the back mwahahahaha!] 

Kogure almost blurted another 'itai' for the night. 

"What about you?" Kogure asked Rani. 

"Oh, don't worry about me. I can take care of myself." She waved her hand in front of her. "Pity those who will try something foolish on me." She grinned once again. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rani left the couple and walked down to the train station. _I hope Kogure-kun would be able to talk. _She sighed at the thought of her shy friend._ Maru really had such an effect on him. _

Beep!! Beep!! 

She smiled to herself. _Oh, they would make such a sweet couple. Kogure-kun after all is a sweet guy. I hope--- _

"Oi!" 

_….Kogure-kun would get that shyness out of his system once in a while….. _

A grip on her elbow suddenly put her out of her thoughts. For a moment her heart thumped thinking somebody was attacking her. 

"Rukawa-kun? I thought you left already?" 

"I just got my car from the parking area then I saw you walking. C'mon, I'll drop you home. I pass by your place anyway." 

"Uh…alright. Thanks." 

"No problem." He opened his car door and let her in. 

Rani leaned her back and relaxed while Rukawa drove the car. She is thankful because trains are always crowded on a Friday night and she would most probably be standing up. But once they turned the corner, they got stuck in traffic. Yup, Friday nights also mean traffic. 

"You are helping Kogure-sempai get a girl?" Rukawa asked while maneuvering through the tight lanes. 

"Uh…well. I just thought he needed a boost. He's really shy around girls, you know." 

He nodded. Now he understands why she was sneaking on them a while ago. 

"You ever had a girlfriend before, Rukawa-kun?" 

"Yes. But that was long ago. Before I went to America." 

"Oh. So what happened?" Rani's natural nosiness is starting to set in. 

"She gave up on me." 

"Really? You must be a lousy boyfriend hahahahah!" 

Rukawa gave her a short glare then turned his attention to the turtle-paced movement of cars in front of them. "She said I was cold." 

Rani blinked at him. "Were you?" 

He shrugged. "It was partly my fault, I think. And my so-called fans harassed her." 

"Hmm? How bad can your fans get?" 

"You don't want to know." He looked annoyed when he answered her. 

"I see. So, that's it? Only one ex-girlfriend?" 

"Hai." 

"Geee…why? I thought popular guys like you have this tendency to collect girls hahahahah!." She teased. 

"I don't collect girls." His eyes still on the bumper to bumper traffic ahead. 

Rani just looked at him and shrugged. 

"I dated when I was in America but that was all." He continued. 

Rani nodded. "Uhmm…you had sex?" 

He looked at her for a while as he couldn't believe how outspoken she is. 

Rani on the other hand waited for an answer but when it took a few moments, she shrugged thinking Rukawa wouldn't answer. "It was just a question." 

He looked ahead. "Yes, I did." 

"See? It's not so hard to answer." She grinned and then leaned back her head on the seat. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Now be a sweetheart and tell me you are still reading. -_~ 


	6. Happy New Year!

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**Yumehime** - I am so glad you liked it.

**mskitsune** - Glad you're still reading.

**arashi tissue** - bonking with ice cubes? *gasps* ore wa hentai!? LOL. You are something else! But then again, I am too, or else how could I write this? Nyahahahah!

**tsongmandude** - Thanks for reading my fics. Here's the next installment! 

**shinichimaki gal** - An admirer of the hunkiest guy in Slam Dunk huh? wink I'm glad it made you laugh. Ohhhh...I love Kogure. If only he exists in real life sigh. 

**Zirc** - Thanks for the compliments. I don't have any idea who Rani Mukherjee though. 

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 6: Happy New Year!

It's thirty minutes before midnight on New Year's Eve. Kogure and Rani decided to spend that time together at home and just watch the New Year celebration at the Tokyo Tower on TV.It's the year-end countdown event to celebrate the coming new year with fireworks and releasing two thousand and three balloons.

Kogure is busy arranging food on the table. Rukawa on the other hand is unloading a bottle of Japanese rice wine.

Rani just looked at the two men arranging mochi (rice cakes) and sake (rice wine). "So this is what the Japanese do for New Year, huh?" This is her first real experience of Japanese New Year since on the first new year she was there, she was on duty at the hospital.

"Uhuh," Kogure answered. "New Year's Day is also Rukawa-kun's birthday, so I invited him to come since he doesn't have any close relatives anymore."

"Really?" Rani asked in surprise. Then she turned to Rukawa and dug her elbow on his rib. "You haven't told me! I haven't gotten you a gift!"

"It's not necessary," Rukawa answered.

"Don't worry about it, Rani," Kogure said to his housemate. "We'll give him a gift later."

"Alright," she said. Then she turned her attention to the foods at the table. "So which one of these is kazunoko? I heard Maru said that it's a food especially for New Year."

"Kazunoko is usually served by families," Kogure stated. "It has been a traditional belief that in eating kazunoko we wish to have many children and hope that our family can prosper."

"Ohhhhh….. So why don't we have that? Don't you wish you'd have many children with Maru? Heheh….." Rani teased.

"Maa…we just went out twice and you are already talking about having children?" Kogure retorted.

"If I know, you can't wait to get married and have dozens of children!" She slyly glanced at Kogure and winked at Rukawa. Rukawa gave out a chuckle.

She turned to Kogure and pouted. "Kogure-kun, don't neglect your little but older sister, ne?"

"What? How can you say that?"

"Hehehe…I was only kidding you, lover boy." Rani patted Kogure on his back. "So have you proposed yet?"

Kogure sweatdropped at Rani's question. He can't even confess yet and Rani is already thinking about proposing.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

10….9…..8…..

7…..6…..5……4…..

3…..2……1

"Happy New Year!!!!!!!" Rani yelled at the top of her lungs. She gave each tall men a bear hug as the two thousand and three balloons were released at the Tokyo Tower.

Rukawa was all shook up while Kogure went to his room to get something. When he came back, he has a gift bag and something red on his hands.

"This is for you, Rukawa-kun. From both of us." He handed the gift to Rukawa.

"Hai. Arigato," Rukawa mumbled.

"Happy Birthday, Rukawa-kun!!!!" She gave Rukawa another big hug and shook him violently. "Boy, would you want me to call for a lady-of-the-night as a gift? Hahahahah!!!"

Rukawa sweatdropped. "No thanks," he answered.

"Maa…don't be so cruel, Rani." Kogure grinned. "I will collect from you later. And this is for you." He handed Rani a red doll.

Rani stared at the red doll with no arms, no legs and no eyes. She's trying to make out what it is.

"It's a Daruma doll," Rukawa answered when he saw the look of confusion on Rani's face.

"A doll?" Rani raised an eyebrow and looked at her housemate. "Kogure-kun, I am a grown woman, you should have given me a live man instead of a doll, you know?" She pouted.

"So wish for a man," Kogure nonchalantly said.

"Eh?"

"Daruma doll is a wish doll that's why it has no eyes. What you do is this." Kogure took the doll and pointed to the doll's eyes. "You paint the eyes on the doll yourself. First you paint one eye on, and then make a wish, and when the wish is fulfilled you paint on the other eye." Kogure educated Rani once again on some of the things the Japanese do for the holidays.

"Honto? Is it true?" Rani asked excitedly.

"Hey, it worth trying."

"Wait, I think I have some colored pen here." She ran to her room, grabbed her blue sign pen and went back to the kitchen.

"Blue?" Kogure raised an eyebrow.

"This is all I have." She shrugged and started painting the left eye of the doll. "Should I tell it to you two? Maybe it would invalidate my wish if I say it." She grinned.

"You don't have to," Rukawa told her. "C'mon, finish that so we could start eating."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"C'mon, you can do better than that, Rukawa!" Sendoh coaxed Rukawa who's dribbling the ball and trying to get pass by him. Mitsui on the other hand is concentrating on defending against Kogure in case Rukawa pass the ball to him. 

"Shut up and just try to stop me," Rukawa snapped. 

Sendoh gave out his infamous toothpaste smile, which he very well knew could irritate Rukawa. 

When Rukawa knew that Sendoh wouldn't let him get through, he stepped back and did a clean and perfect fade-away shot. 

Right on the net. 

"It's only natural that you should win, Rukawa. But at least we gave you a hard fight," Sendoh said still smiling. Rukawa ignored him. 

After the game, the four men all slumped to the ground. Kogure found this opportunity to talk to Mitsui. 

"Anou….Mitsui-kun," Kogure approached his friend who was busy wiping his sweat. "I need someone to accompany Rani to this festival in Osaka. I've promised her that but I can't miss this date with Maru so maybe you could accompany her?" 

"What!?" Mitsui barked at Kogure. "No way am I going to be seen in public with that….that hentai!" 

Kogure sweatdropped. "Mitsui!" 

"Besides I don't speak English," Mitsui added. 

_Ok He has a point there._ Kogure thought that he had to do some more convincing. "But she can speak some Japanese." 

Mitsui shook his head and got up. 

Kogure's shoulders sagged in disappointment._ I can't ask Sendoh since he is also not free at that time. Maybe I better ask Rukawa-kun. _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

~ ~BLAAGGGG!!! ~ ~ 

Kogure and Rukawa both cringed at the sound of what seemed to be the house shaking up and crumbling down. They were in the living room watching NBA games on TV. When they both turned around, they saw Rani with a scowl on her face looking at them. 

"I-Is there anything wrong, Rani?" Kogure asked. 

Rani crossed her arms in front of her and asked. "Ok, who's the wise guy who last used the toilet?" 

_Uh-oh…._ "W-Why?" Kogure is getting a bad feeling about it. 

"Because there were yellow droplets on the rim of the bowl", she answered in annoyance. "Arghhhh!!!!!! If there is one thing on earth I couldn't stand, it's a messy toilet bowl!" 

Kogure and Rukawa looked at each other. Kogure knew he hadn't used the toilet for the past hour so it had to be Rukawa. "Anou….Rani, leave it to me. I'll clean it," Kogure offered. 

"Never mind, I already did." She scowled as she stomped to her room and shut the door. 

Right after Rani had closed the door, Kogure looked at the wall calendar hanging at the living room and started counting. _Yup, it's definitely coming._ Rukawa just looked at him wondering what he is doing. 

"Anou…Rukawa-kun, gomen," Kogure faced Rukawa. "She's really picky about these things. Normally, she wouldn't rant about it. I guess it's just that time of the month." 

"Nani?" Rukawa asked. 

"You know, that woman thing," the bespectacled man tried to explain. "That time of the month when they get easily irritated." 

Rukawa nodded when what Kogure said started to sink into him. 

"Did you happen to see the toilet paper in there?" 

"Hai." 

Kogure sweatdropped. "Anou…that's what the toilet paper is for, Rukawa-kun." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: I guess I don't have to explain what that 'woman thing' Kogure is referring to heheh... I trust that you already know. I never thought it's so hard to create a female OC and not turn her into a Mary Sue. I want her to come out like a real person with real hang-ups. The works, you know. I don't want to create a goddess or a saint whom every Slam Dunk characters would be fighting to be her boyfriend. Even more so, make them all fall in love with her at first sight.

Heh. That's all for now. 


	7. Rukawa, The Victim

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**tsongmandude** - Um… Yes, the Kanamara Matsuri or Festival of the Steel Phallus is real. They do it in Kawasaki, Japan every April. You like Rani!? Hmm….You want to suffer like Rukawa and Kogure? She's crazy, I'm telling you nyahahahah! You ought to get to know her better. All of my reviewers are being a sweetheart heheh. 

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 7: Rukawa, The Victim

"Ohayo, Fujima-san!" Rani greeted the old woman in her late 60's lying on the hospital bed. "Time to drink your medicines now." After putting down the tray she was carrying on the side table, she helped the woman got up on her bed. 

"Ah… Rani, I'm so glad you're here. You never failed to remind me of my medicines." 

"It's my job, Fujima-san," Rani replied as she picked a bottle and took out a pill. "Besides, I enjoy talking to you since I don't have a grandmother anymore!" 

"I like talking to you too because you are always so bubbly you make me forget my pains." 

"Ah…but Fujima-san, you look great to me!" She handed the pill and a glass of water to her and sat down on the side of the bed. "I know Japanese people live longer lives so I know you will get to live for more than a hundred years! Maybe you could rub that longevity on me hahah!" 

Rani and the old woman were engaged in their usual chitchats when someone came in. The old woman instantly recognized the visitor. 

"Ohayo, obaa-san." A man in his mid-20's bowed to the old woman. 

"Kenji! You are early today." 

The young man scratched the back of his head. "Well, I have to go to Tokyo after lunch so I thought I'd drop by early. So, how are you feeling now?" 

"I feel better, Kenji. Rani is taking good care of me." She looked at Rani and smiled. "Rani, dear, this is Fujima Kenji, my eldest grandson." 

"Hajimemashite! Kenji-san…erm… Fujima Kenji-san." Rani bowed her head in greeting and smiled. 

"Hahah! I am fine and you can call me Kenji. Thanks for taking care of grandma." 

"Ie, it's my job, Kenji-san. Besides your grandma is fun to be with." She smiled at the old woman. "Very well then, I shall leave you two now. I'll get back this afternoon, Fujima-san." Then she turned to the young man. "Nice meeting you, Kenji-san." She turned to collect her tray and stuffs then went out of the room. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

"Ready to go home, Rani?" Kogure approached his friend. 

"Almost. But you can go ahead if you like, Kogure-kun. I still have to go to the mall." 

"Are you going shopping?" 

Rani slung her bag on her shoulders. "Not really, I'm just going to buy a cd of Okita Midori." 

"Okita Midori? She pretty popular, ne? But I didn't know you're into Jpop now." 

"Well, I like her songs. She sings well plus she's pretty!" Rani said excitedly. 

"I'll go with you." 

"Yosh! Let's go!" 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Kogure has already informed Rani that he won't be able to bring her to the Doya-doya Festival. Instead, it would be Rukawa who would take her. He's going to pick her up in about three hours. Kogure made sure that there wouldn't be any phalluses parading on the streets on this festival. Rukawa didn't have to suffer from embarrassment like he did. 

Rani entered his room and plopped on his bed. She watched her housemate prepare himself for his first real date with Maru. She knew Kogure is excited as the couple of times he went out with Maru, she was with them. 

She propped herself up using her elbows. "Wow, my not so little brother is growing up! He's even going out on a date!" 

"I'm going to take her to this fancy restaurant," Kogure said as he combed his hair in front of a mirror. 

"Uhmm…what about a movie?" 

Kogure shyly smiled at her through the mirror. "Hai, maybe we could watch Lord of the Rings." He walked out of the room. Rani got up and followed him. 

"Uhmm…what else?" [A/N: Rani is beginning to sound like an FBI agent, ne?] 

Kogure turned to face her. "What do you mean what else?" 

"Umm…you know," she replied as she shrugged her shoulders. "spend time together, maybe go to a love hotel or something." Rani winked mischieviously. 

"R-Rani, what are you saying?" Kogure blushed at the thought of him and Maru at a love hotel. 

"Hahah! You are soooo nervous, Kogure-kun." Rani grinned at him. "Wait, don't tell me you are still a virgin." 

Kogure sweatdropped. "I'll pick her up after two hours so I got to get going. Ja, ne!" He walked to the front door and opened it. 

"Oh, alright." Rani bid her friend goodluck as he closed the door. 

Kogure peeked at the door. "And be kind to Rukawa-kun!" 

Rani rolled her eyes. "I am always kind to Rukawa-kun!" 

After Kogure left, Rani shook her head. _Kogure-kun can be so paranoid sometimes. _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Rukawa and Rani were walking down the streets of Osaka. They just got off the train and on their way to the festival venue. 

Rani popped a peanut into her mouth and started munching when she noticed a group of girls looking at her companion. She elbowed Rukawa and pointed to their direction. 

"Rukawa-kun, there's a group of girls oogling at you!" 

The basketball player just shrugged his shoulders and continued on walking. 

"Hey, would you mind walking slowly? I can't keep up with your pace." She noticed that Rukawa didn't even look at the girls. "Are you gay?" She double skipped to catch up with him. 

Rukawa stopped walking and faced her. His eyes turned into slits. "No. And don't ever say that again. You are beginning to sound just like them." He cocked his head towards the girls' direction. 

Rani decided to annoy Rukawa. "Then why don't you walk up to them and kiss them." She gestured to the direction of the girls stalking them while sporting a challenging look on her face. 

"You must be joking," he answered sarcastically. 

They resumed walking. 

"I remember you told me that you had sex before. But you never told me if you had sex with men or women hahahah!!" 

Rukawa abruptly turned his face to her. "I don't have to kiss a girl just to prove that I am not gay." 

"You're right. You could be sued for sexual harassment. Hahah!" 

Rukawa rolled his eyes. 

"Ok. Ok. I was only teasing you. Besides, it takes more than a kiss to prove that you are a man!" She raised an eyebrow at him. 

"Aho," Rukawa snapped. 

"Hey, watch it! I am four years older than you!" 

"So? You act younger than me!" Rukawa retorted. 

"Why…thank you! I'll take that as a compliment!" Rani grinned. 

Rukawa sighed._ Women! _

They finally reached their destination. Rani was gasping for air because she had to keep up with Rukawa's pace. 

"I need a drink. There's the vending machine. What do you want?" She asked. 

"Just a soda," Rukawa answered. 

"Ok, I'll get them." She ran to the vending machine and left Rukawa. 

The festival hasn't started yet. Rukawa waited and decided to doze off. 

Rani inserted the coins. The vending machine churned out two cans of soda and she picked them up. Then something caught her attention. A really evil grin appeared on her face, one could almost see horrible horns popping out of her head. _Heheheh…_ She made another purchase from the vending machine, picked the item and walked towards Rukawa who was obviously in dreamland. 

"Rukawa-kun, here's your soda." 

Rukawa, still half asleep, reached out for the can but wondered why he couldn't feel it cold. He opened his eyes wide and saw something wrapped around the can. He peeled it off and looked at it closely. 

*Blink* *Blink* That's Rukawa blinking at the object he was holding. 

Rani moved a few paces away from him, evil grin still plastered on her face. 

"What the---" He held it in front of him. _Arghhh!!!_

*Click!* *Click!* *Click!* 

He saw flashes of bright lights directed towards him and a figure of a man dashed out of there fast. 

Suddenly not feeling thirsty, he dumped the unopened can and the 'thing' into the trashcan. A chibi Rukawa stood there with his eyes formed into slits and veins popping out of his head. _Relax... Rukawa Kaede, you are the King of Coolness. Keep calm... Keep calm... Now, attack!!!!_

Rani ran for her life while the 'calm' Rukawa chased after her, hands formed into claws. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

_Soiled school girl's underwear! I don't believe it! _He muttered under his breath. 

Rukawa had been looking for Rani for almost an hour. He lost her when she ran into the middle of the crowd. _Kogure-sempai is going to kill me if something happens to her._

The festival has already started when he spotted Rani oogling at the groups of young men clad only in loincloths shouting 'doya-doya'. He walked up to her and grabbed her arm. 

"Eeek!" Rani shrieked. 

He dragged her out of the crowd and reprimanded her. "You shouldn't have run away like that! What if I didn't find you and something happened to you!?" 

Rani rolled her eyes. "Shessh….you are beginning to act like Kogure-kun." 


	8. Of Karma & Dignity

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**Lady Artemis** - Um.... there are vending machines in Japan where they sell soiled school girls' underwear, yes, it's true. Yup, pretty gross if you ask me. *LOL* I never really intended to make Rani's name sound Indian. 

**mskitsune** - *snickers* She wasn't branded a hentai by Mitsui for nothing. 

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 8: Of Karma & Dignity

Rukawa felt relieved when he learned that there's going to have a live concert at the festival venue. One of the performers was Daishi, one of his favorite male performers. At least there is a part of the festival that he will get to enjoy, he thought to himself.

"Daishi!? You mean The Daishi!?" Rani began to swoon. "That rock star who looks so cool in those tight leather pants!?" Ok, she's squirming in delight now. Actually, the guy is a lead singer of a rock group but Rani chose to ignore the rest of the group members. And obviously, Rukawa doesn't know that Rani is very much into Jrock.

Rukawa didn't get to answer her question when the crowd started roaring as a tall, handsome man in his mid-20's appeared on the stage. He is wearing his signature tight leather pants and gelled up, brown-dyed hair, looking like spikes pointing in all directions.

When the concert started, Rani kept on grabbing Rukawa's shirt in excitement and yanking him but the basketball player is as stiff as a board. "You are such a boring person, Rukawa-kun!"

Rukawa on the other hand was starting to feel dizzy with all the yanking and being in the middle of a crowd that's getting wild at the beat of Jrock. He also likes Daishi because he always listens to Jrock but for some reason he is starting to hate the guy. No doubt pop idols and rock stars are more popular than basketball players. 

_Big deal! Why are women going gaga over him, anyway? _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rani was the one who dragged him this time as they squeezed themselves into the middle of fanatic females. He doesn't know why he let Rani dragged him all the way to the backstage just to get near to the rockstar. When they got there, she managed to get an autograph. After that, Rani hugged and kissed the rock star on his cheek.

Rukawa smacked his forehead. He couldn't believe it. Rani is even worse than his fans. 

"Ahhhh!!!! Rukawa-kun, pinch me! Pinch me!!!! Tell me I am not dreaming!!!" She kept tugging on his shirt. By this time, Rukawa was already sporting a disheveled look, as his shirt was already crumpled from all of Rani's tugging. A portion of his left shoulder was already showing and his hair was messier than when he would play basketball. 

Rukawa turned chibi. "How about I just punch you?" 

Unfortunately, Rani was still on cloud nine and too caught up at the sight of her idol that she ignored his question. Rukawa on the other hand felt so embarrassed at his companion's behavior. 

"I got his autograph!!!! I can't believe it, Rukawa-kun! And I get to kiss him! I get to kiss him!!! Ahhh!!! I can die right now!" She mocked a faint and landed on Rukawa's chest. 

Rukawa sweatdropped. _And I also want to die right now. _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

For the nth time, Rukawa dragged Rani out of the crowd and reprimanded her. "Stop acting and squealing like that! Where is your dignity!?" 

Rani blinked at him. "Dignity? Oh…dignity…wait…I have it here somewhere…" she fumbled through her pockets. "Awww….shoooooot!!!" She flicked her fingers. "I must have left it at home." She made a silly grin. 

Rukawa rolled his eyes. 

Rani moved closer to him and gripped his arm. "Rukawa-kun, don't be such a killjoy, alright? Get real! If you like someone, say it. If you love someone, show it." 

"And by the way," Rani raised her eyebrows at him. "You're not the judge to tell me if I have dignity or not." She placed her left hand on her chest for emphasis. "I'm the one who decides on that." 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At last, the festival was over. Rani's back to normal, whatever normal means to her. Rukawa slapped himself once just to make sure that he hadn't died from embarrassment yet. He wanted to congratulate himself for managing to stay alive through the whole ordeal. The two decided to have dinner before going home.

"You see," Rani started as soon as they finished ordering the food. "There was this time when me and Levy went to this Japanese restaurant and we both don't know how to use chopsticks. We managed to look like two stupids hahahahah!"

"Who's Levy?"

"One of my ex-boyfriends," she answered.

"Uhm?"

"My second ex-boyfriend to be exact."

"What happened?"

"Rukawa Kaede, don't you know how rude it is to ask a woman about her past?" She put on an angry face.

Rukawa froze, as he didn't expect that Rani would get angry knowing that she's a very open person.

"Joking!" Rani grinned at him and held out a peace sign, much to his relief. "Ok. My first boyfriend broke up with me when we were first year in college. He thought I would distract him from his studies and he wouldn't fulfill his dream to become a lawyer."

"Did he become a lawyer?" Rukawa asked.

Rani shrugged and made a face. "I don't know. That second one, well, I broke up with him because he wanted to have sex all the time. I mean, I like sex but he craved a lot for it… you know what I'm saying?"

Rukawa nodded. By this time, he's already used to Rani's outspoken personality but that made him raise an eyebrow for a second.

"The third one," Rani continued. "His religion is somewhat strict and wouldn't allow marriage with a non-believer. By the way, he was a foreign student in my country so he had to go back. That was it."

"I see. And the last one?"

"I married him. Hahahaha!!!!"

After having their dinner, the two walked out of the restaurant and started treading towards the train station.

"So… you're married?"

"No. Not anymore. I got my annulment before I came here. I waited for it so things wouldn't be hanging while I am out of the country."

"How come it didn't work out?"

"Oh…the usual stuff. He was sleeping with another woman. Some people told me I should have just tolerated him if I wanted our marriage to work out. But I don't know……. I have a very low tolerance level for those kinds of things. He's lucky I didn't cut his throat!" Rani kicked out an empty can of soda. A cat jumped when the can landed in front of it.

"Did you have a child?"

"Hm? No. He doesn't want to. He said he doesn't want responsibility."

"That's a sad story."

Rani made a face. "It's not that bad. Well, I almost committed suicide once but after that I always looked at the sunny side of everything. Painful experiences teach us a lot of things, you know. There's this saying that applies to us women, 'to find your prince, you have to kiss a lot of frogs' hahahahah!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Rukawa-kun!" Rani was still rubbing her eyes when Rukawa came to see her the next morning. She had just gotten out of the bathroom and obviously hadn't combed her hair yet.

He shoved a tabloid in front of her. "Now everyone thinks I'm a pervert. Thanks to you!"

Rani looked at the tabloid's front page and saw a picture of Rukawa holding the 'soiled underwear' with his two hands. The headline, RUKAWA'S LATEST PASSION!

Rani turned her back to him and tried to suppress her giggling. Hahahah….Heheheh… Hahahaha.." 

Rukawa throws another tabloid on her head. "Aho." 

Rani faced him. "You know, you should be thankful. At least now, those girls wouldn't think you're gay!" 

"Right," Rukawa went to sit on the couch. "Now everyone thinks I have a passion for those….those abominable things! Ugh!" 

Rani grabbed the other tabloid that Rukawa used to hit her and read, RUKAWA ENDORSES A NEW PRODUCT! 

"Hehehe….." Rani burst in a fit of laughter clutching her stomach. "Hahahahahah!!! Oh my God! Hahahahaha!!!!

"Aho." 

"Awww…you're so cute here. Hahahahah!" 

Kogure went out of his room when he heard Rani laughing like mad. "Wha-Rukawa-kun! What's going on?" 

"Ask that aho," Rukawa cocked his head towards Rani. 

"Hahahahaha!!! Kogure-kun, look at these!" 

Kogure reached for the tabloids and immediately had a big sweatdrop at the back of his head. 

"Hahahah!!! Where's your dignity now, Rukawa-kun?" Rani picked on him even more.

Rukawa lunged to grab the laughing 'aho' but the laughing 'aho' was quick enough to run away. The commotion created by the two knocked out some of the things in the living room.

Rani ran behind Kogure and used him as a shield.

"Errr…." Kogure's glasses got fogged. He raised his hands in an attempt to pacify Rukawa. "Would…. the two of you like some brownies? M-Maru gave them."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A/N: Err...I don't know why my title and dividers won't go center. It was set on center on my Frontpage. Anybody knows why?


	9. Um More Madness?

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**Sofia/3sh** – eheheh.... Thanks! I hope you like this continuation.

**Mitchy** – Thanks! Here's the update! 

**Incent Racelis** - I'm so glad you liked it.

**mskitsune **– Yup! 

**tsongmandude** – Yay! I did it! I followed your advice, my title and dividers are now centered. Oh, I could kiss you! Thank you very much! 

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 9: Um... More Madness?

"Kogure-kun, Rukawa-kun here played alone this morning. Apparently, Mitsui-kun and Sendoh-kun didn't show up." Rani had just finished placing the bowls of rice on the table.

"Really?" Kogure, who just came in twenty minutes ago from visiting his grandmother, turned to Rukawa. "Gomen ne, Rukawa-kun? I came to visit obaasan."

"You're lucky actually." Rukawa sat down to join the two for dinner. "At least, you weren't there when this aho was pretending that she was jogging."

Rani glared at Rukawa. "What do you mean pretending? I was jogging for real!"

"No, you were not jogging," Rukawa said as he picked up the chopsticks.

"I was jogging!" Rani retorted.

"No, you're not," Rukawa answered back void of any facial expression. "You were not jogging at all. You were just chasing teenage boys."

Rani snorted and gave him a sideglance. Rukawa ignored her.

"Maa…" Kogure tried to stop his two bickering friends in front of dinner.

Rani turned to her housemate. "So how's your grandma, Kogure-kun?"

"She's doing fine. She said thank you for giving her some fruits."

"I'm glad to hear that. I remember this funny lady whom I've been taking care for two weeks now. Her name is Fujima Eri and she keeps on pairing me with her grandson hahahah!"

Kogure and Rukawa looked at each other.

"Fujima?" Kogure asked.

"Hai. Fujima Eri. Her grandson's name is Fujima Kenji."

"Fujima Kenji!?" The two guys asked in unison.

Rani leaned back from the two and looked suspiciously at them. "Are you two joining a choral group or something?"

"Rani," Kogure swallowed his food before continuing. "You didn't tell me that Fujima Kenji comes to the hospital!"

"Hellooooooooo! How am I supposed to know that you know him?"

Rukawa chuckled. "Fujima was Shoyo's ace."

"He was a basketball player of Shoyo before, Rani," Kogure answered. "He and I graduated in the same year."

Rani shook her head and smiled slyly. "You guys never failed to amuse me. I can't even remember my college classmates' names now and you two can remember a basketball player from another school."

"He was really good," Kogure added. "He was the coach and team captain of his team at that time. We had a hard time beating them. Right, Rukawa-kun?"

Rani rolled her eyes. "Spare me the details."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Oh…Ru~ka~wa-kunnn……." Rani called to Rukawa in what she thought was a sweet and irresistible voice. 

Rukawa stiffened. That voice. There's something about that voice. For some reason, he suddenly felt nervous. "What is it?"

"Anou…. could you accompany---."

"No."

"Awww… c'mon… please, Rukawa-kun…" Rani pleaded.

"What festival is it this time?" Rukawa asked while trying to put on an indignant face.

"The Sapporo Snow Festival," Rani answered not giving attention to Rukawa's put-on.

"Sapporo!? Do you even know how far Sapporo is?"

"Well, according to my research," Rani took out a small notebook and read from it. "It's about one hour and 50 minutes from the Narita Airport. We can take trains but it would take 12 hours to get there." She sported what she thought was a sweet smile but in fact she had the smile that a cat would give to a cornered mouse.

Rukawa sweatdropped. Rani obviously does her homework.

Rani placed her left hand on her chest and raised her right hand as if taking an oath. "You won't spend a single yen, I promise."

"No."

"I will do your laundry next week."

"No."

"I will do your laundry and clean your house next week."

Rukawa sighed. Rani obviously doesn't know the meaning of 'no'.

"Yare-yare…. But on one condition."

"Anything for the best basketball player in the world!" Rani grinned happily and gave him a massage on his shoulders.

Rukawa shook his shoulders so Rani would get her hands off him. He knew Rani was just pulling his leg. She's never been interested in basketball and would never compliment him on his basketball skills. And she can be such a pest sometimes.

"Stay away from vending machines."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Mmmmmm…. I just loooove tempura! Maru will fatten you up, Kogure-kun." Rani winked at the woman who is now Kogure's girlfriend."

"You should also try some of these squid rings," offered Kogure.

"Ahh… of course, seafood is my favorite!"

"Rani, why don't you get a boyfriend?" Maru asked.

Rani shook her head as she popped a squid ring into her mouth. "No time for love."

"I thought you were spending more time with Rukawa-kun?" Maru pressed on.

"Hm? Yeah, so?" Rani started munching the squid while looking around people who are also having lunch at the hospital cafeteria.

"You two would make a great couple," Maru said nonchalantly.

Rani almost spit the squid. "Are you kidding? Rukawa-kun? I bet a dead log is easier to arouse! He doesn't have a life!" She blurted out after swallowing the squid.

"Maa…. " Kogure butted in. "I think Rukawa-kun goes out more often now, Rani. I think he is enjoying your company."

Rani dismissively waved the chopsticks on her hand. "Whatever."

"What about Fujima-kun? The last time we talked to him, he seems so fond of you," Kogure continued.

"Kenji?" Rani looked up from her plate. "No, we are just friends. Besides he's so good-looking he looks prettier than me. I feel so insecure hahahah!"

The bespectacled man looked slyly at her. "See? You are even on a first name basis with him."

"Rani, I didn't know you have many prospects," Maru winked at her.

"Eh?" Rani turned to her direction then saw Kogure sporting a sly smile at her. "Oi! Kogure-kun, don't look at me that way. Kenji-san is just a friend. I didn't come to Japan to get a boyfriend.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At last, the day Rani had been waiting for arrived. They were trudging towards the train station that would take them to Narita Airport. Rukawa stopped walking when they passed by an ongoing motor show. 

"Oi, let's go check the motor show first," he called out to her who didn't seem to notice that she was already walking alone.

"Are you sure this is a wise thing to do?" Rani protested. "We might be late for the flight."

"This won't take long."

Rani sighed in resignation and followed him. "Geez…. Men! If it's not basketball, it's cars!"

"Whoa…" Rani's eyes turned dreamy.

"See that car over there?" Rukawa pointed at a sleek midnight blue car. "That's the kind of car I want to have."

"Ca-Car….? What….. car?"

"That one." Rukawa pointed to the car once again. "It's a Jaguar, my dream car."

"Ohh….yeah…… dream boats….." Her voice trailed off.

_Boats?_ He frowned at Rani's weird smile and dreamy, faraway look.

Rukawa followed Rani's gaze to see what she's looking at. He facefaulted when he finally realized that Rani wasn't looking at the car but at the shirtless hunks that were modeling for the car.

He flicked his fingers in front of her face. "Oi, aho, wake up."

Rani broke out of her dreamy state and agreed with him. "Um…yea…nice car but I'm thirsty. I'll just go get---."

"Oh no, you won't," he said as he grabbed her by the collar on her back. "Did I ever tell you that you are not to touch any vending machines when you are with me?"

"But I need a drink!" Rani protested.

"I'll get it. Stay here." Rukawa ordered Rani like a little kid. "Don't move, don't breathe and don't do anything stupid or else we won't be going to Sapporo."

Rukawa marched towards the vending machine while shaking his head. It seems that ever since he has been hanging around with Rani, he has learned to stay alert. He's even nagging a lot lately. He, of all people!

_So much for being quiet._


	10. Sleepless In Sapporo

Disclaimer : Slam Dunk is owned by Takehiko Inoue. Rani is mine!

Note: Sentences in italics are thoughts.

*******

**miracle** – Thank you so much! Glad you finally found and read my humble fic.

**Lady Artemis** – Eheheh.... That's what Rukawa gets for sleeping on her. I actually want Rukawa to get back at her even though he's calling her an 'aho' now. *grins evilly* 

**Sofia/3sh** - Thanks! Coming right up!

**Mitchy** – Arigato! 

*******

**Madness**

Chapter 10: Sleepless in Sapporo

Airport was crowded as usual and it seemed that most domestic and connecting flights were bound for New Chitose Airport, the gateway to Sapporo. 

As soon as they got to their seats, Rukawa fell asleep. When the plane took off, the slumbering man unconsciously leaned on her. 

"Shesshh….Rukawa-kun," Rani uttered as she dug an elbow to his side. "Drool on me and you're dead!" 

Rukawa opened his eyes and straightened himself up. 

"No wonder you don't have a girl. You'll make a lousy boyfriend." 

"Aho," Rukawa muttered before going back to sleep. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

At last, after spending one and a half hours on the plane and one hour on the train, they reached the heart of Sapporo City. Everything was covered in a white blanket of snow and Rani was starting to have a running nose from the very cold weather. Snow just kept on falling everywhere. 

After putting on some skid proof shoes and heavy jackets they brought along with them, they walked towards the Odori Park and marveled at the displays of the snow sculptures. A lot of people came to see the huge pieces of art that were made by the locals as well as the ones that were made by participants from abroad. Rani learned that they even held ice sculpture competitions there. The lights illuminating the snow sculptures made them look really impressive and walking along the park was even considered romantic by many. 

Rani as usual took a lot of pictures and even asked Rukawa to take her pictures while making all sorts of weird poses. Then she requested a stranger to take their picture together in front of a snow castle. 

"Mwahah!" Rani laughed and grinned at him after profusely thanking the person who took their picture. "I will send that picture back home and tell my friends that you are my boyfriend. Then they will stop pestering me if I already have a boyfriend." 

Rukawa ignored her. 

Rani leaned closer to him, still with a wide grin on her face. "You wouldn't mind, would you?" 

"As if I can stop you," Rukawa replied stoically. 

"That's what I like about you, Rukawa-kun hahahah!" She blurted out. Rani slapped Rukawa's back so hard that it almost made the poor guy slip off. 

After walking around for almost 4 hours, Rani's running nose was getting worse. 

"Brrrr…I think we better get back, Rukawa-kun. Seems like the snow is getting worse!" 

They were on their way back to the train station when they noticed that some people were panicking and going to the hotels nearby. 

"What's the matter?" Rani asked. 

"Beats me," Rukawa replied with a shrug. 

Rani scratched her head, as she couldn't understand why everyone seemed to be in a hurry to leave a restaurant in front of them. 

"Oi, let's go eat first before we go back to the airport," Rukawa said while gesturing to the restaurant. 

From the news on TV at the restaurant, they finally learned that all flights were cancelled because of the heavy snowfall. Even trains couldn't move on as the railroads warped, due to the extreme cold.

"Gee…. Am I glad we don't get snow in my country!" Rani blurted out. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After confirming that their flight was indeed cancelled, the two went on to search for hotel rooms to stay in without much luck. Rukawa and Rani finally stumbled on a small inn with the sign 'vacant rooms available' hanging outside.

"Two rooms, please," Rukawa said to the clerk manning at the counter. 

"We only have one room left, sir," the clerk replied. 

"What do you mean you only have one room left?" 

"The snowstorm's really bad and a lot of people were stranded so there were a lot of demand for rooms," the inn clerk explained as he made a gesture towards the entrance, then faced him again. "You are lucky there is still one left. It would be taken anytime soon." 

Rani just listened to the exchange. When she turned towards the door, she saw a group of people coming to the inn. 

"We'll take it," Rani said as she tapped her hand on the counter. 

"Nani!?" Rukawa protested. 

"Here's your key, miss," the inn clerk said as he slid the key on the counter towards Rani. 

"Thanks," Rani bowed and turned to drag Rukawa who still couldn't believe that she accepted a single room for both of them. 

"How dare you make a decision without consulting me?" he confronted her. "You're not going to tell me that we are going to stay in the same room, are you?" 

Rani tiptoed beside him, clasped his chin with her right hand and turned his head towards the door.

"See those people coming?" she asked. "If we didn't take it, we would freeze our butts out there. Besides, what's your problem? It's not like I'm gonna rape you!" 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rani, obviously didn't realized that Rukawa couldn't appreciate the room very much. It was a very small room with one bath, one bed, one small TV, one lampshade and a phone on a side table. 

"No balcony and there is only one bed!" Rukawa complained. 

Rani facefaulted. They were stuck in the middle of a snowstorm and considered themselves lucky they had a room to stay in and Rukawa was even looking for a balcony? 

"Balcony? Are you planning to enjoy the night looking out on the falling snow by the balcony?" Rani shook her head in disbelief. "Fine, take the bed!" Rani said exasperatedly. "I can sleep on the floor, whiner!" 

"Aho," Rukawa mumbled as he sat on the bed. 

Rani took the phone on her lap and called the front desk to ask for an additional mattress, blankets and pillows. Then, she proceeded to dial their home phone to tell Kogure that they wouldn't be able to make it back tonight. She dialed and waited, dialed and waited but nobody was answering the phone. 

"Shesssh…." She hissed as she placed down the receiver and thought of other ways to contact her housemate. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Finally, Rani was able to contact her housemate. She remembered that she had Kogure's mobile phone number and dialed it instead. 

As Rani was still engaged at the phone, Rukawa opened the door to receive the sleeping items Rani ordered from the front desk and placed it on the bed. 

"Kogure-kun! Where are you!? I've been calling at home but the answering machine just kept on yakking!" 

"Err….." said Kogure at the other end of the line. 

"Hahahah!!! Ok, don't tell, I know. How is Maru-chan doing?" Rani grinned at the phone. The phone almost grinned back at her. 

"Err…." 

"Kogure-kun, the weather's really bad but I don't know why it must have affected your brain so much that all you could say is 'Err…" 

"Errr….." 

Rani rolled her eyes. 

"Anyway, I called to tell you that Rukawa-kun and I wouldn't be able to come home tonight. Flights were cancelled and they said they still have to clear the runways." 

"Are you alright?" Kogure asked. "How is Rukawa-kun?" 

"Yes, yes we are alright," Rani assured him. "Rukawa-kun is as of the moment stuck here with me. He's shaking in fear because right after this conversation, I would start ripping his clothes off!" She grinned at Rukawa. 

Rukawa sweatdropped. 

"Anyway, do you want to talk to him?" Rani asked. 

"Ha-hai." 

After giving the handset to Rukawa, Rani stepped out of the room.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

After explaining their situation to Kogure, Rukawa walked out of the room and wondered where the 'aho' went to this time. After scanning the hallways, he saw Rani talking and laughing with a new clerk at the front desk. The other clerk's shift must have been over, he thought. 

_That aho must be flirting again._

He must have spent a lot of time with her that he can already read her like a book. He sighed and walked towards them. 

"Oi, the mattress and things that you ordered were already there," he told her. 

"Kombanwa, sir!" The front desk clerk greeted. "Your wife and I were just talking about the volume of snow we are getting this year."

Rani and Rukawa sweatdropped. 

"Ahem…. Excuse me. I am not his wife. Yuck!" She acted like she was going to puke. "I am **single** and **available**." 

Rukawa glared menacingly at her then turned to the clerk. 

"Excuse us, I have some babysitting to do," he said before dragging Rani back to their room. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

When Rani was finally released from Rukawa's preaching, she decided to hit the sack and made a mental note to confirm about their rescheduled flight the next day. She practically yawned all time while she listened to Rukawa's blabbering. Even then, she understood Rukawa and knew that he's just different from her. 

"Shessh… And to think Kogure-kun said you hardly talked in high school!" 

After letting her hair loose, she covered herself with the blanket and went to sleep. 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rukawa couldn't sleep and would glance once in a while at the sleeping figure on the floor beside the bed. Somehow he wasn't comfortable that Rani was the one sleeping on the floor while he's occupying the bed. 

_Maybe I should transfer her here. _

_No. That would wake her up. _

Just his luck! To be stuck here with Rani several miles away from home and her being mistaken as his wife. When his thoughts drifted off to what Rani had said about ripping his clothes off, he bumped the base of his hand on his head. 

_Oh shit, what am I thinking? _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Rani woke up in the middle of the night when she heard what she thought was a helicopter landing on a helipad. 

Groggily, she sat up and looked around. Rani facefaulted when she realized that it was coming from the man sleeping on the bed. She smacked her forehead in dismay. 

_Oh for…. _

_I don't have any idea that this guy snores! _

_Of course you don't, you ding-a-ling! You haven't slept with him! _

_Shesshh….. what am I saying!? _

She sighed in defeat. Thinking that she couldn't do anything about it, Rani plopped back to the mattress and willed herself to go back to sleep. 

Rukawa would stop snoring after a while. Just when Rani would drift back to sleep, Rukawa would start snoring again. 

_Arrrghhhhh! _

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

A/N: I want Rukawa to get back at Rani for being so mischievous. Ideas anyone?


End file.
